Page 46 of Brooks (Dirty Misfits MC 1)
I leaned into his ear. “That depends. Do all of the ladies talk about overthrowing their president?”
His back stiffened. “Coming, sweetheart.”
I snickered. “And make sure to line my rim with sugar. Salt and tequila is a shit combination.”
Then, I made my way back to my bedroom, hoping and praying that Chops wasn’t currently in the clubhouse to eavesdrop.
Twenty-Two
Raven
Even though I technically didn’t have to work today, I didn’t want to sit around and stew in the lingering smell of Brooks while he was out and about. I didn’t want to watch the clock all damn day and painfully count down the seconds until he came back to me. So, I made my way upstairs after feeding Archer and decided to work a half-day at the daycare.
“He’s loved you for a while, you know,” Archer said.
I paused at the staircase and peered over my shoulder, watching him shovel eggs into his mouth.
“What was that?” I asked.
He swallowed hard. “Brooks has loved you from afar for a long time. Don’t hurt him.”
I shook my head. “I don’t plan on it.”
He picked up his coffee. “No one plans on hurting someone else. But sometimes it happens. Make sure it doesn’t happen to him.”
I swallowed hard. “You have my word.”
“Good.”
When silence fell between us, I raced up the steps. I locked myself in my bathroom and took a quick shower, reluctant to wash Brooks off my skin. I had to put on extra makeup around my neck to cover up the massive hickey he left behind. But I still wore it like a badge of pride.
I won’t ever hurt you, Brooks. I promise.
I decided to put on my favorite sundress and matching flats. It was pale yellow with blue and white flowers cascading around the entire dress. It was spaghetti-strapped, which meant I could wear one of my nicer cardigans and still not get too hot. I slid my pale yellow one over my shoulders and buttoned it right in the middle, accentuating the dip in my waist. And after finding some matching dangling earrings and piling my hair on top of my head into a neat little bun, I slipped into my shoes.
Before making my way back downstairs.
“You ready?” I asked.
Archer stood from his empty plate. “Ready when you are.”
“Are you going to be at work the entire time I’m there?”
He nodded. “I’ll be where you are at all times until Brooks gets back tonight.”
I sighed. “That’s good, because I can’t take any of my guns on the daycare campus. So, you'll be the only one armed out of the two of us.”
He blinked. “Any of your guns?”
I nodded, pointing to the hutch. “There’s two pistols in there, a shotgun taped on the underside of the kitchen table. I’ve got a glock in my bedside drawer, a set of knives hidden all around the guest bedroom, and the kitchen is full of things I can pick up and crash into someone.”
He blinked. “Remind me not to fuck with you.”
I giggled. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
The entire drive over to my place of work, I kept peeking in my rearview mirror. And every single time I did, I saw Archer four car lengths behind me. Whether there were vehicles in front of us or not, he kept a safe distance while following me to work. And when he perched outside of my small office, I took comfort in the fact that he was there watching over me.
Though, I wished it was Brooks out there instead.
It was hard to focus on work. Every time I took two steps forward, I had something that dragged me one step back. But I didn’t feel as weighed down as I usually did. I didn’t feel as burdened as I usually felt. And when I leaned back in my chair to check in with my body, I noticed something.
I don’t feel guilty anymore.
For years, I’d always felt guilty about my feelings for Brooks. For years, I carried this secret around like the horrible wife I felt some days. Crushing on my husband’s best friend. And now, I didn’t feel guilty anymore.
Now that Brooks knew, I felt more relieved than anything else.
Did I love Gage? Yes. With everything inside of me. But a small part of my soul had been given to Brooks the first time I gazed into his eyes. He captivated me like that, but so did Gage. Just in a different way. And when Gage made the first move, I took that as a sign. A sign that I was lucky enough to have two wonderful, handsome, incredible men in my life that cared for me. Just in different ways.
At least, I thought it was in different ways.
And I knew Gage would want me to be happy. I knew he’d want me to feel safe. I knew he’d want me to be protected, so in many ways I’d like to think he was smiling down on me. Maybe this was the kind of protection he meant for me after all. Maybe the pact him and Brooks had wasn’t broken.
